Zetterberg and Datsyuk step up big time in the absence of Nick as the team leaders and both have BIG offensive seasons (Pavel will get 90 something points and Hank will get 80 something points, 30+ goals).

Also I expect Smith to surprise everyone and will be playing 25 minutes+ by the end of the season.

Tom Renney proves to be an amazing signing and will help the dmen a LOT.

just look at my sig, it'll be there all season. there's your surprise list. and i think Smith takes the Calder. Nyquist runner up followed by draft lottery Yakupov. Emmerton will be in a package deal for Bouwmeester and hopefully Cleary scores 20....for the Flames.

I agree with the OP on the Kindl thing. Everybody is down on him because they can't be down on Ericsson anymore. For years Ericsson was the whipping boy and nobody noticed how good he was on the PK until he was injured and Babcock made it clear that the the failure of the PK was largely due to Ericsson's injury. As soon as that happened everybody jumped ship and started chiding Kindl, as if our seventh defenseman was somehow to blame for last season.

My guess is Kindl continues his develpment, comes into his own, and nobody notices for another year or two, until he's injured and his services are noticeable. Then it will be someone else's turn.

I agree with a lot being said here. Smith for the calder, nyq and Brunner have a great season.. each getting 20+ goals and 40+ points. Pavel and hank have "bounce back" seasons. They weren't too bad but with more depth I think they step up big time.

Nyq and Brunner are the biggest question marks there so we'll see but..

Most importantly, with finally having a good backup, I think jimmy has a career year and is up for the vezina.

Datsyukian

Dat·syu·ki·an [dat-soo-kee-uh n]

adjective

1. When your moves are so amazing and beyond reason, the only way to describe them is "datsyukian."

I think Ericsson will surprise the most. That doesnt mean that all the blind haters will ever admit it but I think he has a shot to prove to be a legit top 4 this year.

Totally agree. The Big Rig gets alot of "goat time" on this team. I think he will see the opportunity and be the defenseman we all saw back in 08.In addition, I am dying to see what Brunner's got. I think he is going to fill out a Wings jersey perfectly!

I agree with the OP on the Kindl thing. Everybody is down on him because they can't be down on Ericsson anymore. For years Ericsson was the whipping boy and nobody noticed how good he was on the PK until he was injured and Babcock made it clear that the the failure of the PK was largely due to Ericsson's injury. As soon as that happened everybody jumped ship and started chiding Kindl, as if our seventh defenseman was somehow to blame for last season.

My guess is Kindl continues his develpment, comes into his own, and nobody notices for another year or two, until he's injured and his services are noticeable. Then it will be someone else's turn.

I think Kindl is simply nothing special. He's not notably good on either side of the ice. He shows occasional flashes of offensive brilliance, but he also shows spots of defensive ineptitude. He's large, but he doesn't use his size to his advantage.

Again, that's exactly how everyone felt about Ericsson a couple years ago. Kindl is still young and is still developing, but he has all the physical gifts and skill in the world. As this thread is about surprises I'm simple stating that he'll surprise. Confidence works wonders for players, and (for me) there was a noticeable improvement in Kindl's game last year when injuries hit and he was no longer battling for a spot. With a roster spot pretty much assured this year, I look to him to continue his development, build a little confidence, and have a solid year for this team. Solid in this case means he'll be a plus player, and I'm thinking 4 goals about 12-15 assists on the third pair.

I hope Jimmy improves once again, and Gusto proves to make them a great tandem. Hopefully a more rested Jimmy will help us, and fighting for his job will prove to be a great motivator. I think Nyquist will meet expectations and will earn full time in the big show, Brunner will be a bonified 3rd liner with helmer and they will destroy on the forecheck together with their speed and Brun's finishing touch. Smith will have defensive lapses and it will be understanding due to his play style, but he will only learn with experience when he can pinch. He will produce like expected though and I see him rolling in the Calder race.